


Happiness is a long hot bubble bath

by RedSnow1



Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Adorable, Awesome Clara Oswin Oswald, Bathing/Washing, Bathtubs, Bubble Bath, Cute, Cute Ending, Domestic, Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Oblivious, POV Clara Oswin Oswald, Romantic Fluff, Romantic Friendship, Soft Twelfth Doctor, Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, Twelfth Doctor Era, space married
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-23
Updated: 2020-11-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:01:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,716
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27681874
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedSnow1/pseuds/RedSnow1
Summary: “I’m not very good at this. Relaxing.” Really? she thought. “I don’t have the luxury of sitting in a tank of my own filth for hours.”She winced, suddenly incredibly aware of how bath actually worked. She shivered, her lips pursed in disgust feeling dirty and awkward.“Must you always ruin everything?”/OS/Written for the Whouffle Week, Day 1 : How does that feel?
Relationships: Twelfth Doctor/Clara Oswin Oswald
Comments: 12
Kudos: 40
Collections: Whouffle Week 2020





	Happiness is a long hot bubble bath

**Author's Note:**

> Hello there,
> 
> Long time no see! 
> 
> Just a quick note to express how excited I am for this week, and I hope that you will join our celebration! I tried writing a story for the seven days, and I hope you will enjoy them.  
> Huge thank you to my beta, @Praetyger for your precious help and advice.Without you, this story wouldn't have been the same.  
> Also, huge thanks to my friend Yana (yes, you!) for always being here, for pushing me to do better, for reading my stories even though you don't watch the show.  
> And finally, thanks to all my friends in the dinner, you rock <3
> 
> Feel free to leave a comment, a kudo, it's always appreciated!  
> Happy reading!

“Why do you like baths so much Clara? What’s so interesting about them?”

Clara nearly screamed and her toothbrush fell down. She stopped dead in her tracks, her hand falling on the light switch. Light filled the enormous bathroom — revealing the Doctor standing in the middle of it, unfazed by the sudden change of lighting. She hadn’t noticed his lanky shadow, standing in front of the tub, in the darkness — he’d nearly given her a heart attack! In fact, when she had pushed the door, she had thought she would have a moment on her own to get ready before bed. It appeared that the Doctor had other ideas in mind, as he often did. Clara took a deep breath, trying to quieten the erratic beating of her heart. If he noticed how much he had scared her, he said nothing, staring at the empty pink bathtub. It was perhaps her favorite place to be, whenever she was around the TARDIS. The ship had provided her with the most magnificent bathroom to relax in — and that tub — oh that glorious tub. Clara smiled, remembering fondly the marvelous moments she had spent there, relaxing — or being disturbed by the Doctor.

The first time the Doctor had let himself in while she was bathing, she’d been startled and had thrown things at him. The second time, she had only screamed. And then… She had gotten used to it. How could she be mad at him ? He was only over-excited and eager to share news with her, or lonely and desperate for her presence. Clara Oswald was used to the Doctor staying around whenever she showered, or took a bath. He would sit in the loo, talking nonsense. Part of her found their evolving relationship oddly domestic and couldn’t help but appreciate it. She felt safe with him. Comfortable enough.

“Well — they are relaxing for starters”she said, walking closer to him. But the strangeness of his question hit her. “ Hang on, you’ve never taken a bath?”

The Doctor shrugged, rounding the tub, observing it from every angle as if it were a creature bent on harming him. She repressed a smile. What an odd man. The most wonderful man — but still, incredibly strange. He would defend the most horribly looking creature, but eye suspiciously the most random human object. Finally, he seemed done inspecting the strucure , and turned to her.

“Not in this body. It’s been a long time actually. I forgot how it felt.”

_Oh Doctor, you have no idea what you are missing out_ , she thought. And then, before she said it, she realized exactly why he was standing in the middle of her bathroom. He was considering it. She had interrupted an inner battle, where he was weighing the pros and cons. Or maybe he had been expecting her for a while now, hoping that she would help him come to a decision. 

“Do you want to try?” She asked.

She knew he did. Why else would he be here ? But there was something pulling him back — what, she could not say. Was he afraid? The Doctor looked right at her with his big hopeful eyes.

“I don’t know. I’m not sure this body will like it. I don’t even know where to start.”

Clara chuckled lightly. He was asking for her help. She smiled, reassuring him, and began to move around the bathroom, gathering towels, shampoo and various other objects she thought he might need. Clara filled the empty tub with hot water, adding bubbles and explaining the process as she went. He followed her, eyebrows furrowed, face unreadable. 

He didn’t say anything, only observed her.

“Right. You’re all set. I’ll leave you to it.”

She'd nearly reached the doorway when the Doctor's silence made her pause. She turned around adn found him looking lost and sad, arms hanging limply at his side. He opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, perhaps unsure of what to say.

“Clara… Could you… Could you stay?” He finally said, so softly she almost didn’t hear it.

She froze, taken aback. Quite honestly, she didn’t know what to say. This was so... intimate. Much more than when he was the one disturbing her baths. He didn’t care about her nakedness - he never really noticed that sort of things. It was her presence he sought. But he was the Doctor. She was used to him chasing around monsters and solving riddles but this? This was something she had never done before. 

“It’s something people usually do alone, Doctor…”, she tried to reason.

“Please”, he said.

That was all it took. One word. Her weakness. How could she resist him, when he was begging her to stay ? Clara sighed, and closed the door behind herself as he thanked her with a wide smile on his face. He had won, and he knew it. As she checked the bath’s temperature, she noticed the Doctor begin to undress. Without intending to, she caught a glimpse of his chest and turned her back on him, her cheeks burning. 

“Doctor? A little warning next time, yeah ?” She said, covering her eyes. 

It was easy for him to forget how to act like a human being, and obviously he had forgotten that taking his clothes off in front of someone could be considered rude. _It was only a shirt Clara_ , she told herself, trying to calm the beating of her heart.

“Does it bother you? Seeing me bare?”, he said, and she could hear the sound of his shirt falling on the ground.

Clara swallowed, unsure of what to say.

_Yes. You are the Doctor._

_No. You are my friend._

_I don’t know. Do I ? Should I be bothered ?_

“I just thought I would give you some privacy”,she said, not voicing her inner quarrel.

His pants were on the ground now. Oh lord, what was she doing? Why had she accepted to give him a hand — no — to help him out. That was a better way to phrase it.

“You’ve seen me naked before.” He stated.

“Not in that body.” Clara replied quickly — perhaps too quickly.

She could remember the Doctor, welcoming her into his TARDIS, bare as a newborn. How shocked she had been back then. How she hadn’t been able to tear her eyes away from him, for a few seconds. She hadn’t meant to. It wasn’t exactly intentional. She was afraid that if she faced him now, she would be overwhelmed by the mere sight of his beauty. He was burning like a sun, even more so without any clothes on. Besides, this Doctor was more … private and shy in a way. It felt almost out of character for him to be so carefree around her.

But he had changed. Ever since Christmas, ever since their reunion, he had changed and grown so much. He was reckless now, more bold. And Clara liked that. She liked that very much.

“Not in this body…”,he repeated sadly.

Her heart broke upon hearing those words. Her words. If only she could tell him that she thought he looked magnificent, that he didn’t need to look like a young man to be appealing. If only she could reassure him about his charms, about his appearance… But before words even began to form in her head, she heard the water splashing. She waited a few minutes, her cheeks crimson, her heart beating against her chest and turned around when she was sure that he was immersed inside the gigantic tub. She grinned happily.

There he was, her doctor, the Oncoming Storm, the bringer of darkness, sitting in a bubbly tub like a child, his arms around his long legs, his head resting on top of his knees. She tried and failed to repress a chuckle. His pale chest was exposed to her big brown eyes and thankfully, his dignity was covered by the bubbles. Slowly, Clara sat on the edge of the tub, sitting next to him. Not too close — he didn’t like that much—not too far, he needed her by his side.

The Doctor played with a couple of bubbles, blowing some at her face and making her giggle. Then, he frowned. _Oh oh… that was not good._

“How long do you stay in? What do you do?” He asked.

She giggled at his earnest questions. He was the cleverest man she had ever met, and the oldest children she had had to take care of. How could he prevent alien invasion and yet still be so clueless?

Her heart leapt into her chest. It was one of the reasons why she had grown to love him. With him, she felt like she was teaching him as much as he was teaching her. They helped one another. They grew together to become better. Always better.

“You think. You read. You relax.”

He frowned. She could tell that she was speaking a language he could never understand. The Doctor never ever stopped running — let alone to take a bath. His distress was written in his eyes, his deep blue eyes in which she could see the reflection of the water surrounding him. 

She could almost hear his thoughts, questions swirling in his clever mind. _How long is too short? Should I leave now? Should I stay? What are the rules_? 

“I’m not very good at this. Relaxing.” _Really?_ she thought. “I don’t have the luxury of sitting in a tank of my own filth for hours.”

She winced, suddenly incredibly aware of how bath actually worked. She shivered, her lips pursed in disgust feeling dirty and awkward.

“Must you always ruin everything?”

He laughed heartily at that, and fell silent again, understanding her annoyance. He was staring at the water, probably counting the bubbles to pass the time. Clearly, the man had great difficulty letting go. He was probably thinking of the next planet they were going to visit, lost in the future, the past, but nowhere near the present. That was why she was there, wasn’t it? To keep him anchored. To remind him to live in the moment, the here and now. 

“Close your eyes.” Clara asked.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow at her order but did as he was told. No questions asked. And that alone nearly made her eyes water. He was naked, sitting in a tub, eyes closed. He was showing her how much he trusted her — he was letting her take care of him. Travelling with the Doctor, going on adventures with him had led her to develop a quick trust in the man. She knew he would always do everything in his power to keep her safe. He thought is was his job. He was always the one who made sure that her every needs were tended to, so it felt nice to give him a taste of his medicine. Seeing him so, fragile and vulnerable under her gaze was reinvigorating. It was a nice reminder that despite his alien DNA, he was the most human man of them all. 

Eyes closed, body tense, the Doctor waited. He was shivering, his arms wrapped around his knees. Clara could tell it wasn't from the cold. He was scared. This wasn't something he was used to.

Softly, Clara began to hum while putting some water unto his silver locks. She thought hearing music would help him — it worked wonders for her. He frowned, taken aback, but didn’t open his eyes. His grip on his legs tightened. Continuing with her work, Clara noticed that his hair had gotten quite long during their time travelling together, and were now curling beautifully on top of his head and she was not complaining. In fact, she rather liked it. His hair looked soft, and comforting. Once his grey hair was wet, she reached for the shampoo and froze. She knew the Doctor was not overly fond of physical proximity and had no idea how he would react to having his hair shampooed by her. It was a rather intimate act…. But she had to try.

Her fingers grazed his wet hair hesitantly.

“Is this — okay?” Clara whispered, running her fingers between a few locks, not touching him too much.

He flinched, like a child afraid of being beaten, and she took her hand back, not wanting to overstep his boundaries. She didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable, quite the contrary in fact. But as soon as her hand left his hair, the Doctor’s eyes shot open, as if snapping out of a trance. Their faces were close — so very close. He took a hold of her wrist, stopping her motion, his lovely piercing blue eyes bored into hers with an intensity she had never witnessed before.

Clara held her breath, her lips parted, her eyes locked with his.

“It’s okay.” He said, and led her hand back between his grey locks.

Clara remained frozen until he decided to lay back and close his eyes once more. Only then did she allow herself to breathe again. Shaken by their proximity, her hand found her way through his hair. The Doctor shivered, a blissful smile painted itself on his face, matching her own. His hair was exactly how she had imagined it — soft, delicate, wool like. She was playing with his locks, taking the utmost care in cleaning them. Slowly, she began to massage his scalp, applying shampoo everywhere and rubbing his silly locks between her fingers. The Doctor’s head was resting against the top of the tub now, his arms floating underwater, completely relaxed. His shoulders had dropped under her touch, as if she had taken away the weight of the world. His face seemed devoid of emotion — a feeling she knew too well. A happy, comforting void of peace that usually accompanied her baths. She didn’t stop her ministrations, wanting him to enjoy the massage — nothing made her happier than seeing him like this. The Doctor sighed, sometimes seeking the feeling of her hand much like a cat wanting to be petted.

“How does that feel?”, she whispered close to his ear, not wanting to break their little bubble just yet. She slowly began to rinse his hair, working her fingers to untangle the messy silvery locks.

He opened his eyes, now heavy with sleep, and stared at her with the most adorable smile on his face. 

“Good. Very good.” He mumbled, still not quite ready to emerge from the water. “Thank you, my Clara.”

The sight of him, serene, happy, struck Clara to the heart. Never in her life had she seen him glowing that way. He was always so serious and burdened. She took a mental image of that moment. From now on, every time she would think of the Doctor, she would picture that moment. That exact look. For as long as she lived, she would hold on to it.

Water plopped and dripped as his hand came to rest on her cheek, wet, warm, soft. It remained there and Clara did nothing to chase him away. She smiled at him, beaming with contentment. Something shifted in his eyes. But she soon found out as he moved and laid the sweetest kiss, right at the corner of her lips. Quick, tender and chaste. It was more than he had ever given her. The feeling of his lips burnt her skin, soon replaced by the cold as they left. The Doctor closed his eyes again, returning to his original position — perhaps a way to run away from her reaction which was probably for the best, since Clara was blushing furiously, his affection lingering on her cheek. Her heart pounded in her chest, her mind racing with a flurry of thoughts, feelings, a veritable waterfall of emotions she didn’t know how to handle. And she didn’t care. She would think about it later. For now, she had a job to finish, and a very soaping Doctor to take care of. She finished brushing his hair and made sure no shampoo remained around his ears and neck. It was perfect. No — He was. And overwhelmed by that thought, she reached out for his hand, immersed into the bubbly water. He did nothing to prevent her from doing so, and entangled their fingers together.

They didn’t part until the water was cold.

  
  



End file.
